Corner Surplus

Now that the Eagles officially have three lock down corners in DRC, Nnamdi Asomugha and Assante Samuel, will they trade Assante or hold onto all three?

The Eagles could go in many different directions in trading Samuel. They could trade him for draft picks or they could trade him for a linebacker, offensive lineman, or safety that could have an immediate impact.

As good as this Eagles secondary now is, the Birds still have some glaring holes on defense at linebacker and safety. Trading Assante for a linebacker could really solidify this defense. Remember as of right now the Birds starting linebackers are Fokou, Chaney and rookie Casey Matthews who have 17 games of experience between them. And although the secondary now looks great with Nnamdi, DRC, and Assante, they still need safeties to cover the middle. I like Nate Allen, but aside from him the Birds are relying solely on young talent to step up at safety.

The Birds could also look to acquire a draft pick for Assante which would give them another pick in next year's draft. Although the draft pick wouldn't have an immediate impact, it would still give the Eagles flexibility come next year's draft.

The last option is the Birds could hold onto all three. According to Jeff Mclane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, "The Eagles plan is to carry all three CBs for the season unless they get a good trade offer." The possibilities are endless with these three corners and it enables the Birds to play Nickel defense which requires 5 defensive backs.

The acquisition of Nnamdi clearly means that defensive coordinator Juan Castillo has a plan. The Eagles could trade Assante, or they could hold on to all three corners to make up one of the most daunting secondaries in Philadelphia Eagles history.